Throughout the country, local building codes and national standard practices require that steps be taken in commercial and residential construction to slow the spread of fire through attics, crawlspaces, and other interior locations. One such step is the construction of fire walls from wood or metal trusses or stud walls. A fire wall is created by fastening flat modular units to the wood or metal studs. These units, known as fire-rated gypsum board, are abutted edge to edge, and provide a barrier to flame and fire-fighting water. Because of the modular construction of the gypsum board, gaps or seams are presented between individual modules. Standard practices require that these gaps be covered to reduce the rate of flame and water penetration through the fire wall. Conventionally, a paper tape has been applied to the seams and adhered thereto by a coating of a wet plaster-like compound known as mud.
Fire walls are usually not in public areas of the building, and thus do not require a high level of decorative finish. Yet the application of the liquid mud can be difficult and cumbersome, as fire walls are often located in cramped or difficult to reach spaces.
Self-adhesive drywall tapes for finish drywall have been previously suggested. An open fiberglass mesh self-adhesive drywall joint tape has been used, and a perforated self-adhesive drywall tape has also been known in finishing applications. Nonetheless, the perforations or openings in these tapes make their application in a fire wall unacceptable.
What is needed is a tape for the construction of a fire wall which may be applied in a single step without the need for application of mud.